Grid construction



' June 13, 1967 F. BACH 3,325,078

GRID CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 1, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR Fnedeman Bach BY M 74% q ATTQRNEYS June 13, 1967 F. EACH 3,325,078

GRID CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 1, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

FIG 4 INVENTOR Fr'z'edemcznn Bach.

ATTORNEYS June 13, 1967 F. BACH 3,325,078

GRID CONSTRUCTION Filed 001;. l, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 9

INVENTOR Fm'edemann Bach BY ATTORNEYS F. BACH GRID CONSTRUCTION June 13, 1967 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 1, 1965 INVENTQR Fre'edmann Bach M W q ATTGRNEYS June 13, 1967 F. BACH GRID CONSTRUCTIQN '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 1, 1965 iliwii WV INVENTOR w B n n a m d e m P W YM BM Jun 13, 1967 INVENTOR n n Bac h eczema June 13, 1967 F. BACH 3,325,078

GRID CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 1, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 FIG. l7

INVENTOR F'm'ede mann Bac )1.

AT'ITOR N EYS United States Patent 3,325,078 GRID CONSTRUCTION Friedemann Bach, Goppingen, Germany, assignor to Albert Troll, Waterford, Ireland Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 492,013 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 3, 1964, B 78,791 1 Claim. (Cl. 22915) This invention relates to improved grid strips from a grid insert for subdividing a box-shaped container into individual smaller compartments or cells may readily be formed.

Grid inserts designed for this purpose are known. Generally, they are formed by joining cardboard strips having transverse slits. This procedure is laborious and inefficient. Furthermore, the stability of the structure thus produced is frequently unsatisfactory.

I have found that grid-shaped inserts of excellent stability can be formed or assembled easily and with little effort from novel grid strips or elements described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURES 1 and 2 show two grid strips in face to face positions;

FIGURES 3 and 4 show the manner in which the strip of FIGURE 1 is folded preliminary to forming a grid structure;

FIGURES 5 and 6 show the manner in which the strip of FIGURE 2 is folded preliminary to forming a grid structure;

FIGURES 7, 8 and 9 show the manner in which the folded strips of FIGURES l and 2 are manipulated to form three-dimensional structures;

FIGURES 10 and 11 are views in perspective show ing the manner in which the grid strips are assembled to form a three-dimensional grid structure;

FIGURES 12 to 14 further illustrate, schematically and in plan view, the assembly of the grid strips of FIG- URES l and 2;

FIGURES 15 and 16 show, in horizontal elevation, the manner in which the grid strips of FIGURES l and 2 are partially and completely interengaged, respectively, with one another; and

FIGURE 17 illustrates a completely assembled grid insert.

Referring to the drawing, particularly FIGURES l and 2, it will become apparent that each grid strip A and B initially and essentially comprises a flat sheet of cardboard or equivalent suitable material in the shape of -a modified parallelogram having parallel sets of sides 1 and 2. Strips A and B may be identical, as shown if a square grid insert forming square cells is desired, or may be of different dimensions if an elongated rectangular grid insert is desired forming square or elongated rectangular cells, as will readily be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Each strip is punched through to form a longitudinal slot 3 midway between parallel sides 1 and a longitudinal cut-out portion 4 midway between longitudinal slot 3 and each of said parallel sides. The cut-out portion 4 is subdivided into a plurality of cell-forming units 5 having scalloped edges 6, said units corresponding to the size of the cells ultimately desired in the grid insert. In addition, weakened line segments 7, preferably in the form of scorings or grooves, are provided longitudinally from the slot 3 and the cut-out portions 4 to parallel sides 2 to facilitate bending. Finally, weakened transverse line segments 8, likewise preferably in the form of scorings or grooves, are provided from the ends of slot 3 and from the ends of cut-out portions 4 to par allel sides 1 to facilitate bending along said line segments.

To assemble grid trips A and B, they are first folded along scorings or grooves 7 into the corrugated forms illustrated in FIGURES 3 to 6 and then pressed together to form a flat structure as shown in FIGURES 7 to 9. By laterally displacing this structure in itself, a three-dimensional structure, of rectangular or rhombic cross-section, shown in FIGURES l0 and 11, is obtained, the ends of the grid strips A and B being bent at an angle along transverse grooves or scorings 8. Strips A and B are joined together in head-to-head relationship, at an angle of to one another in the horizontal plane, to form the final grid insert shown in FIGURE 17. The partially overlapping ends of the strips bent along transverse grooves or scorings 8 have the function of reinforcing the grid insert and thus enhancing its stability.

The assembly of grid strips A and B is further illustrated in plan view in FIGURES 12 to 14. FIGURE 12 specifically shows strips A and B vertically above one another and at 90 to one another, the indentations 9 formed by the scalloped edges 6 of strips A being in engagement with the corresponding indentations of strips B, whereas FIGURE 13 shows strips A and B in similar engagement but displaced diagonally to form 45 angles with one another. FIGURE 14 illustrates the relative positions of strips A and B as initially and partially interengaged to facilitate final engagement. This is further illustrated, in horizontal elevation, in FIGURES 15 and 16, FIGURE 15 showing partial engagement and FIG- URE 16 showing complete engagement.

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described specifically with reference to grid strips designed to form cells of square cross-section in which the height of the grid insert is equal to the width and length of the individual cells, it is possible and entirely within the skill of the designer, to vary the dimensions 10 and 11 within wide limits to vary the depth, length and width of the cells formed in the grid insert of the invention and to make them of rectangular, square or rhombic crosssection. It is also possible to make the scalloped interior edges 6 trapezoidal, square or even triangular rather than rounded, as illustrated.

I claim:

A grid strip which comprises sheet material having an area generally in the shape of a parallelogram pro vided with a longitudinal slot midway between and parallel to two of the parallel sides; a longitudinal cut-out portion midway between said longitudinal slot and each of said parallel sides, each of said cut-out portions being subdivided into a plurality of cell-forming units; Weakened line segments extending longitudinally from the slot and the cut-out portions to the other two parallel sides to facilitate bending along said line segments; and weakened transverse line segments extending transversely from the ends of said slot and cut-out portions to facilitate transverse bending along said transverse line segments.

No references cited.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner. 

